The ECOWAS Commission recently organized a 5-day induction and orientation programme for newly deployed personnel of the Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD) and the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF).  

The training which commenced on the 16^th and ended on the 20^th of May 2022 intended to Strengthen ECOWAS’ mechanisms to promote and maintain peace and stability, while focusing on contributing to the readiness of the ECOWAS Standby Force for Peace Support Operations (PSOs) through capacity-building measures for civilian, police and military personnel. 

In his welcome remarks, Colonel Major Ollo Alain Pale, the ECOWAS Head of the PSOD, highlighted the fact that “the induction training is meant to enhance the knowledge of participants and to enable them settle swiftly into their positions and perform their duties efficiently.” 

To buttress Colonel Ollo’s points, Dr. Cyriaque Agnekethom, the ECOWAS Commission’s Director for Peacekeeping and Regional Security (DPKRS), urged inductees to pay keen attention to the rules and procedures to be presented by ECOWAS service departments to attenuate challenges associated with programme implementation. The inductees were also encouraged to intimate their selves with and contribute to the successful implementation of the EPSAO project, which strives to build the capacity of the ECOWAS Commission staff working at the strategic and operational levels of the ESF and with civilians, police and military personnel earmarked for deployment to ECOWAS Peace Support Operations. 

Speaking on behalf of the GIZ-EPSAO project, Ms. Myriam Wedraogo expressed hope that “the new personnel would strengthen the capacity of the ESF both in numbers and experience in view of improving the readiness of the ESF to be deployed.” 

This training was organized with the financial support of the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through the GIZ-ECOWAS Peace and Security Architecture and Operations (EPSAO) project.